Welcome to the Piano World Piano ForumsOver 2 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

Some often recommended brands here include Sony, Sennheiser, AKG, and Grado. Try doing a search of this site and you will also find many previous threads like this.

Knowing whether or not you want open or closed ear headphones makes a difference in price vs. sound quality. Closed-ear models block out some outside sounds and have less sound "leaking" out. That's an advantage for some people, but the prevailing wisdom suggests that engineering a closed headphone costs more than an equally good-sounding open one.

Comfort is also important. People's preferences vary widely on this issue, so if you can actually try them before buying [or return them without penalty for doing so], that would be preferable.

Sensitivity is sometimes an issue on really high-end headphones; you want to make sure the digital piano has enough "oomph" in its' headphone amplifier to drive the phones with enough volume to appreciate them. The 'ohm/sensitivity' spec is probably the only one worth paying attention to.

I have a pair of $69 Grado SR-60 which I just love, especially for the money. Others will certainly chime in with theirs.

I use Audio-Technica ATH W5000 headphones when I play my Roland, available in the US through AudioCubes. I have a lot of pretty decent headphones, but these are in a whole 'nother league. The timbre of the piano is marvelous, and the growl of the bass quite thrilling.

A good, full-sized, circumaural, closed headphone that's popular among budget audiophiles is the Sennheiser HD280 Pro which you can pick up for less than $100 at Amazon.

I use the Sennheiser HD580 which is a full-sized, circumaural, open headphone that's a step up in sound quality as well as in price compared to the HD280 Pro. Unfortunately, the HD580 isn't produced anymore, but you can still find them on ebay pretty regularly (I see a brand new pair on ebay selling for $170 plus shipping right now).

The replacement for the HD580 is the HD600 which sells for a little under $300 at places like Amazon. The drivers in the HD600 are the same drivers used in the HD580 although they're matched more closely in performance characteristics and therefore, they supposedly sound a bit better. Most people feel the HD580 is 95% as good as the HD600 and since it's a lot cheaper, it represents a better bang for the buck. But opinions vary. Some feel the HD600 is well worth the extra cost over the HD580.

For an excellent selection of different headphones accompanied by short reviews, check out Headroom here --> http://www.headphone.com. This is a great resource although you may find better prices at places like Amazon, Newegg, etc.

I've never had the opportunity to try the HD555, but everything I've read about them suggests they're very good for the price (only $99 at Amazon). If you don't mind the "open" design, I'm sure these would be nice - although not as nice as the HD580 or HD600.

I have bought the HD 595 recently and use it now with my Yamaha CLP-240 : great deep (and right amount of) bass, very good soundstage and very clear and bright sound in general. In Belgium i payed 200€ ( HD 555 = 125€ ) DO NOT buy the HD 515: the HD 485 is much better. I have a 485 also: good headphone but a bit to much (and more "muddy") bass for classical music or for a DP like the 240 without equalizer, less bright and less soundstage but very good price: 70€.

_________________________
I love my dark rosewood Yamaha CLP-240. She's as honest with me as a loyal dog but she sounds better.

The HD555's are fantastic, I have them on right now listening to some music I recorded. They are "open" however -- they only block a little of the outside world noise, and they let a little bit of what you're hearing out. That hasn't been a problem for my use at all, however.

If you are going to use Sennheisers, get the HD595 if you will be plugging it straght into your DP. The 580/600/650 'phones require a dedicated amp to work to capacity. The 595 is a fine, comfortable 'phone for practice, but be aware that your sound will be quite audible outside your head.

Originally posted by Larraby: I'm wondering if there is a huge difference between the 555 and 595 or is it so subtle that only an audiophile could hear it. I believe Amazon.com has the 555 for $99 and 595 for $182. [/b]

Perhaps not, even among audiophiles. Check out the comments at headphonereviews.org. The '555 has been reviewed seven times, with an average score of 6.6/10. The '595 has had eight reviews, with a score of 6.7. Keep in mind that the highest scores still average only 8+, so both of these would appear to great value headphones.

While on this topic of using 'phones while practicing on a DP, I just tried putting my old Headroom Supreme amp in between my headphone jack and my 'phones, and the difference is quite stunning, with or without the cross-feed. The whole noise floor drops below the threshold of audibility (mine, anyway), and the tone of the piano is so much richer. Don't know why it's only now I did this, guess it looks funny hanging a amp on the end of the keyboard, and I had always assumed that the power from the jack was sufficient without an amp. Pretty foolish of me. The sound now is great, and the Supreme has found a new perch.

If you want over the ear earphones (these are the most comfortable) I recommend Bose or Sennheisers, these are WONDERFUL earphones. They give excellent quality sound with the greatest comfort, also most of them are sound isolating so you wont hear the background noise in a loud room.

Originally posted by lhorwinkle: I found the Senn HD-555 to be truly horrible. (I use a Yamaha CLP-240) I wouldn't say that they were the worst headphones I've ever used. But I think just about any $30 phone will sound better.

I was truly disgusted with the 555. I couldn't stand them. After about an hour of use, I returned them.

(Before writing this, I posted a message on this same subject on the "Headphones for Digital Piano" forum.)

BTW, I chose the 555 based on recomendations here, and on specs found at headphone.com. I was looking for open phones (for comfort).

At this point, I wonder if I should look at the Senn HD-280? These are closed phone. But headphone.com shows that they have a weaker bass response ... which might be good for a DP.

What say, Holmes? [/b]

Hi,

can you please tell me why those HD555 is that horrible? On a Swedish website the HD555 has been reviewed by 54 people, and they have been giving the headphones 8,82/10.

The three are very acceptable for use with my Clavinova CLP-240. I prefer the AKG that is, to my ears, somewhat in between the Grado and the Sennheiser in term of tonal balance and details (and comfort).

They are all open headphones. What I would like is a good closed. Anyone knows what is (are) the best closed headphone(s) available?

Originally posted by Andrée: Can you please tell me why those HD555 is that horrible? On a Swedish website the HD555 has been reviewed by 54 people, and they have been giving the headphones 8,82/10.[/b]

Rather than repeat my comment ... just look for my post on the "Headphones for Digital Piano" forum.

I have the original AKG 240s. Pretty much industry standards in the studio. They did come out with a new version (MK II) that are louder. I haven't heard them yet though. Hopefully they have the same warmth has the original 240s.

I'd like to check out the Beyer 880s. A friend of mine whose "ears" I trust, gives these high marks.

Clavinova CLP-240. I don’t use them anymore (I prefer the AKG 701) so I tried them before posting. I would say the bass is more than "a little on the the heavy side". It’s heavy, period. Not sure I would return to the Koss now that I use the AKG.